Beast Rider is far from perfect, and it won’t overthrow Kratos' Greek empire anytime soon. Another pass of polish might have done wonders, as clipping, collision, and invisible wall issues abound. Additionally, check points are few and far between, assuring you’ll be playing some later sections over and over. However, if you can get past these mostly minor issues—and let go of that no-co-op grudge—you’ll discover a balls-out, action infused romp that wears its Mature rating like a badge of honor; if you dig over-the-top blood flourishes, lopped limbs, decapitations, charred flesh and bosom-brimming heroines that grunt like Serena Williams every time they swing an oversized sword, then you’ll want to give this beast a ride. Or possibly a rental.

Pick Golden Axe: Beast Rider up if you’ve beat Ninja Gaiden 2 and need a fix of button mashing and blood. The rest of you would be better off giving Golden Axe: Beast Rider a rent first before committing to the buy. Or perhaps just save that loot and buy an original Golden Axe cabinet to relive the franchise’s 16-bit glory.

The Golden Axe name is liable to do Beast Rider more harm than good. Fans of the original will criticize this title for the liberties it takes with the arcade classic—particularly the lack of co-op—and younger gamers will dismiss it as a forgettable nostalgia piece. That Beast Rider is neither of those speaks well to its content and poorly to its packaging. Ditch the “Golden Axe” moniker and just call this baby “Beast Rider”. Like those old ‘80s barbarian fantasy flicks that also had their share of serious faults, Beast Rider is blunt, exploitative, and plenty of fun when no one else is watching.

Gripes aside, the overall package isn't bad, and the combat system is decent enough without any major issues. The graphics are possibly a bit under-par for the current generation, and aren't anything special, on the other hand. Unfortunately the main gimmick of the game is pointless at best and frustrating at worst. There are challenge modes available after the game is completed and extra costumes to unlock, but nothing to offer real replay value. In conclusion, if you like a fantasy brawler there are much better games out there to have a look at.

At the very least, the campaign is fairly lengthy and will likely take you upward of 10 hours to complete. There are level-by-level replays and combat arenas if you want still more action, but these bonus modes only highlight the conspicuous absence of the cooperative play that put Golden Axe on the map back in 1989. This baffling omission is par for the course in Beast Rider, a game with lofty potential that ends up wallowing in mediocrity.

At the very least, the campaign is fairly lengthy and will likely take you upward of 10 hours to complete. There are level-by-level replays and combat arenas if you want still more action, but these bonus modes only highlight the conspicuous absence of the cooperative play that put Golden Axe on the map back in 1989. This baffling omission is par for the course in Beast Rider, a game with lofty potential that ends up wallowing in mediocrity.

Despite Golden Axe: Beast Rider’s numerous shortcomings you can find small fits of amusement when the counter system clicks for you or when you trample through a horde on the back of a beast, but these moments are infrequent. More often you’ll find yourself using some truly barbaric language as you struggle with its archaic game design and unforgiving battle system. As you attempt to cut through your enemies in grisly fashion you’ll recall a simpler time, where you rode a purple chicken and kicked gnomes in their fannies.

Golden Axe is best remembered as what it was – a 16-bit sidescrolling hack-and-slash meant for two players to plow through in under an hour – not a multi-hour gore fest with an Amazonian woman riding around on asinine creatures. If you must get a Golden Axe fix ,don't pay the premium price tag for Beast Rider – get the original from Xbox LIVE Arcade or the Wii's Virtual Console.

A repetitive and badly made game that makes me wonder if the series has any kind of future. This game feels extremely rushed and just can’t compare to games of a similar ilk. I hate to harp on about this, but if a co-op mode had been put in here things would have been so much better. My advice: let Death Adder win this round as it’s just not worth your time.

I can’t really recommend Golden Axe: Beast Rider to anyone, apart from maybe the die hard fans. The combat can be fun, but ultimately it’s rather boring and uninspired, the beasts are sluggish and unresponsive, and the defence is just plain annoying. This is just more proof that some franchises should stay dead, no matter how good they were back in the day.

I could go on and on with complaints, but know that I would never get to a point where I say that something is even remotely decent. This is a game worth avoiding like the plague, even if the classic remains deep and warm within your heart.